As the planet warms, cities like Bangkok could be increasingly inundated by deadly floods

Commentary: As the planet warms, cities like Bangkok could be inundated by more deadly floods

The fingerprint of climate change is detectable in global extreme rainfall trends, says a researcher.

As the planet warms, cities like Bangkok could be increasingly inundated by deadly floods

In the humid tropics of Southeast Asia, afternoon thunderstorms roll through almost every day. Daytime heat causes towering, fluffy cumulonimbus clouds to form and swell before unleashing torrential rain on cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Bangkok. In these places, drainage systems are designed to cope with short, heavy downpours of rain. But the rains in Bangkok over the last week were far from typical. September is the wettest month in …

Bangkok’s floods show what happens when a warming climate meets a sinking city

Bangkok’s latest deadly floods were driven by an extraordinary downpour, but the city’s sinking land, rapid urbanisation and rising seas are making extreme rainfall increasingly difficult to absorb and drain.